Major local road projects set to start this spring

More than $46 million worth of road projects are on the schedule for Springfield, including work to eliminate longtime bottlenecks in the city.

By Tim LandisBusiness Editor

More than $46 million worth of state road projects are on the schedule for Springfield in coming months, including work to eliminate longtime bottlenecks on the northeast and west sides of the city.

Construction is scheduled to begin Monday on one, a $9.7 million expansion of Dirksen Parkway between Clear Lake and Ridge avenues. Flashing message signs on the approach to the busy intersection have begun advising motorists of the work.

“There is a lot going on,” said Mark Mahoney, public works director for the city of Springfield.

The Dirksen Parkway work will add two lanes between Clear Lake and Ridge, as well as a bi-directional turn lane, sidewalks and bike lanes. Work is expected to take two years, said Paris Ervin, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

An average of 18,000 vehicles a day travel the section, according to IDOT.

Work also is scheduled to begin this summer on the widening of Wabash Avenue between Koke Mill Road and the village of Curran at an estimated cost of $19.5 million, according to a summary of local projects from IDOT and the Springfield-Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission.

The work, also expected to take multiple years, includes expansion of the section from two to five lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes and wider shoulders.

Curran Village President Timothy Luckey said officials there anticipate the Wabash improvement would mean a long-term increase in commuter traffic from areas south and west of Springfield.

“We've seen that increase already,” said Luckey. “A lot of people from Auburn and down south cut through here instead of coming up Route 4. They cut through on the county roads to get to Wabash.”

Luckey said he frequently travels Wabash between Curran and the headquarters of his employer, Brandt Co., on Koke Mill Road.

“The traffic just keeps increasing,” Luckey said.

An estimated $13.2 million worth of ongoing improvements to Interstate 72 east of Springfield also is on the construction schedule this year. The work between Interstate 55 to just east of Overpass Road includes resurfacing and bridge repairs.

The work on Dirksen Parkway will eliminate the last bottleneck between Clear Lake and Sangamon avenues.

Mahoney said planning also has begun for safety upgrades at Dirksen and Sangamon, which has become one of the city's most dangerous intersections based on local crash data.

“They're looking at improvements, but that's still down the road,” said Mahoney.